For one swimmer, signing day a dream come true

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Thirty two student athletes at The Woodlands High School sat in row before hundreds of their classmates, their college apparel donned and pens ready.

Students from a variety of athletic disciplines signed their official letters of intent to be sent off to various colleges and universities, including the University of Texas, Ohio State, Berkeley, Oklahoma Christian among others.

Among the students that signed was Tripp Cooper, a varsity swimmer with TWHS men’s swim team.

Cooper, who grew up in rural Arkansas, dreamed of swimming for UT since he was about 8 years old, said his mother Dorothy Cooper.

“It’s been a really long road,” she said Wednesday, referencing the grueling five hour long practices her son attended. Tripp, who stands about 6 feet 5 inches tall, could have played other sports such as football, but Dorothy Cooper said she was afraid of injuries.

“Swimming is a tedious sport, but it was worth it to go to UT,” Tripp Cooper said Wednesday during the signing ceremony. Cooper had been recruited by other schools, including Auburn and Louisiana State University, but a visit to UT convinced him to sign with the Austin university.

Signing with the school was aided by the fact that Kent Kirchner, TWHS swimming head coach, has known Coach Eddie Reese at the university since 1976. Kirchner’s brother Kris attended the university and was selected to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics but the US boycotted the games.

“For Tripp to even be considered by Eddie means he is one of the best high school swimmers in the country,” Kirchner said. The coach has watched over Cooper for the entire four years the student has been on the varsity swim team.

The last male swimmer from The Woodlands to sign with UT was Matt Timberlake, who signed in 1999. Diver Drew Livingston signed with UT in 2008 and was a NCAA champion, Kirchner said. In addition, Kelsey Amundsen of the girls’ team signed with UT last year.

“[Tripp’s] basically scratching the surface in terms of his potential,” he said. “He’s very good right now, but in at least two to three years he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”

The following students signed Wednesday at THWS:

Basketball, Wes Cole, University of Hartford

Volleyball, Stacey Difrancesco, Northwestern State University

Volleyball, Katie Messing, Pepperdine University

Softball, Kelsey Jolly, McNeese State University

Softball, Brooke Riemann, Blinn College

Soccer, Laura Kemp, Oklahoma Christian University

Soccer, Hannah Stanifer, Furman University

Soccer, Megan Stekla, Dickinson College

Diving, Christa Cabot, University of Kentucky

Diving, Emma Ivory-Ganja, University of California at Los Angeles

Swimming, Tripp Cooper, University of Texas

Swimming, Erin Foster, Virginia Tech

Football, Stephen Carr, Southwest Baptist University

Football, Michael Cooper, University of Arizona

Football, Daniel Lasco, University of California, Berkeley

Football, Joseph Schneider, Colorado School of Mines

Football, Max Ward, Southeastern Louisiana University

Golf, Kevin Foley, Roger State University

Golf, Laken Trahan, Dallas Baptist University

Cross Country, Daniel Henderson, Vanderbilt University

Cross Country, Philip Schneider, Colorado School of Mines

CC & Track, Margo Lyons, Texas A&M University

CC & Track, Samantha Thompson, University of Arkansas

Basketball, Sarah Seefeldt, Regis University

Baseball, Ryan Bielitz, Texas Tech University

Baseball, Bryan Brickhouse, The University of North Carolina at Chapell Hill

Baseball, Michael Clemens, McNeese State University

Baseball, Andrew Godail, Sam Houston State University

LaCrosse, Cydney Herring, Queens University of Charlotte

Gymnastics, Sarah Grady, Ohio State University

Gymnastics, Haley Sorensen, University of Oklahoma

Gymnastics, Stacey Sorensen, University of Southern Utah